Morning journal and courier., 1887-05-18
THE BRITISH STAR oHAmBEK
10 Take In All Proceedings Relating to Public Meetings For AgrarIaa Movements.

to Public Meetings For Agrariaa
 Movements.
 LONDON, May 1.-The debate on the CO., ercion bill was resumed this evening. Sir William Vernon Harcourt moved an amend msnt exempting from secret inquiry all pro- ceedings relating to public meetings for agra rian movements, including combinations to obtain reductions of rent. He said that if government were content to direct inquiries authorized under the bill to such offenses as murder, arson, "moonlighting" and mutila- tion of cattle, the bill might pass. The bill would then deal with actual crimes; it would not be measure creating offenses. In it's present form the bill might apply to matters never before recognized as elements of ih- crimination. The House ought not to allow a measure to pass for the purpose of repress- ing crime which really had another object. What was the governments intentions Did they propose to suppress combinations against landlords! Was breach of contract to be made a criminal offense? Would the government give to Irish tenants the same assurance of protection as was given laborers in Englanda Cheers Would they make it clear that the tenants right of combining with regard to land, the cultivation of which was their industry, would be placed upon the same footing with the rights of English workmen with regard to their labor? If there was land trades union in Ireland would the bill suppress it2 If so, on what ground did the government distinguish between an Irish trades union and an English trades union? Mr. Balfour, chief secretary for Ireland, held that the offences embraced in the measure had been sufficiently defined and the amend ment if adopted would simply render the bill futile, leaving out nearly all agrarian of fences He said the comparison of a trades union with the Irish conspiracy to pay no rent was obviously absurd. The law of con- spiracy regarding wages had distinct history from what was now occurring in Ire land The bill dealt with conspiracy to defraud landlords, with conspiracy to pre- vent the free passage of private and public rights in matters of trade and other forms of boyeotting. As to the suggestion that the bill would be allowed to progress if the gov ernment conceded the amendment he would distinctly intimate that the government would not yield to obstruction anything they refused to argument. Cheers. MT. Dillon contended that unless the amendments were accepted the government would be able to imprison everybody who might be politically obnoxious. Landlords who had not receiv- ed their rents might swear out an information of conspiracy against all sorts of per sons to be brought up for a bogus inquiry. If they refused to answer questions such persons might be inn prisoned as long as the government chose. {Cries of "Hear! Hear!'0 MT. Gladstone said he regretted that the government had failed te recognize the justice of granting the Irish tenant the same proteetlon they afforded the English workman. As to boycotting the government must explain what was meant by that term Was intimidation included or only boycotting leading to exclusive dealing! CsHear Hear!"O When Mir. Balfour said that the government refused to yield to ob- struction the opposition's response was that they had the right to refuse to yield to tyran- ny. (Cheers.)
 Sir R. E. Webster, attorney general, asked whether it could be seriously contended that the case of the British workman and that of the Irish tenant. There was wide distinction between an hon. est combination of tenants who were trying to get landlords to reduce rents and com bination among those who could pay, but assist them in evading the payment of what was due. (Cries of "Hear! Hear!'O The bill solely aimed at dealing with criminal conspiracy. It was impossible to give that exact definition of boycotting which Mir. Gladstone demanded. It would surpass the
 
 the developments of that boycotting might be- Vice was at the root of all of these boycotting combinations. Once an enquiry was begun into any one form of boy cotting, there was no logical halting place; the enquiry must be pursued until all forms of the evil had been investigated. (Cheers.)
 Thomas O'Connor said that combinations of landlords to keep rackrents at the starva- tion point would be permitted while the combination of tenants to defeat eXtortlon would be made a criminal offense. Cries of ssHear Hear ID He asked if there was the slightest chance that the measure would ever be used against a combination of landlords.
 The amendment was negatived by vote of 242 to 130.
 The first clause of the bill was adopted by a vote of 171 to Fl. Notice was given of eighty amendments to the second clause, the principal one of which seeks to exempt com binations of tenants from the operation of the clause. This will be introduced by Sir Charles Russell.